NEW YORK — Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said Monday the league doesn’t ‘feel a lot of pressure’ regarding a timeline in relation to its investigation into the Shohei Ohtani gambling scandal.
Ohtani’s now-former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara was indicted by federal prosecutors last month and charged with bank fraud after allegedly stealing more than $16 million from Ohtani to pay off gambling debts.
The legal process, Manfred said, likely will provide more information and insight than an MLB investigation could.
‘The indictment kind of provides insight into exactly what happened there,’ Manfred said Monday during his annual meeting with the Associated Press Sports Editors. ‘Realistically, what makes the most sense for us is just to kind of let the criminal process play out a little bit.’
Why MLB is taking wait-and-see approach to Ohtani situation
Manfred cited law enforcement’s subpoena power and access to information as main reasons why the league is taking something of a wait-and-see approach.
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‘Rarely are we fortunate enough to find ourselves in a position where a criminal process plays out in a way that cannot be the need for us to do the investigation,’ he said. ‘This could be one of those.
‘Law enforcement officials have tools available at their disposal that are a lot more powerful that what we have.’
Does MLB monitor gambling?
Yes and no.
The league works with gambling regulators, sportsbooks and independent monitors, to monitor legal bets in and around ballparks and enforce MLB gambling policies.
Manfred, who said the league was ‘dragged’ into legalized gambling before adding that it has actually put the sport in a ‘better position’ from an ‘integrity perspective,’ said there’s not much the league can do about illegal gambling.
Educate and investigate are the only choice, he said.
Manfred said the league has a training program that exposes players and team personnel ‘to issues that can end their careers in baseball.’
Are MLB players allowed to bet on sports?
They can bet on professional sports, but not baseball or other ‘diamond sports,’ such as softball.
